When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling. No, not unfamiliar, really. It was the apartment room I rented. But for some reason, the scenery in front of me was blurred. And there was a sticky, unpleasant sensation.
"...Is this, blood?"
My hand came into view. A dark red liquid was stuck to it. A unique, fishy smell wafted up my nose. When I tried to raise my upper body in a panic, pain shot through my entire body as if it were screaming.
"Guh...what...is this?"
I groaned and looked down at my chest. My clothes were tattered and covered in blood. It seemed a dark and painful event had repeated itself. Another gun misfire.
Come to think of it, it was only a few hours ago. I witnessed Setsu leaving the house alone from the window.
"This is my chance..."
The moment I thought that was the last thing I remembered. I remember putting my finger on the trigger of the sniper rifle Eclipse, which I had set up by the apartment window, and starting to chant. I poured magic power into it, and then just a little push──I don't remember anything after that.
Apparently, the Eclipse, which was supposed to be brand new, had also misfired in my hands.
No, that's impossible. I have perfect skills as an assassin. I've never failed to control magic power before. Why, only with this target, has it happened twice...?
"Damn it...!"
I bit my lower lip hard. The taste of blood spread in my mouth. The room was ravaged by fragments of the gun and the remnants of magic power, the wallpaper was scorched, and the furniture was overturned. Probably blown away by the force of the explosion. If I imagined my own appearance, it must be a miserable and tragic sight.
In the first place, a professional assassin should have finished it off with one shot. And yet I failed twice. And I even self-destructed... At this rate, the name of the Black Crow will be tarnished.
"Why do I have to struggle so much with a nobody like him..."
He has no special abilities whatsoever, and he even has the label of a bottom-tier F-rank adventurer.
Leaning against the wall, I stood up unsteadily. My wounded body cried out, but I still had to move. If I stayed like this, I wouldn't even be able to contact the next client.
Looking in the mirror, I saw a face that was half-burned and clothes covered in blood. It was a terrible sight, but my life didn't seem to be in danger.
If I asked a healer to give me proper treatment, I would be able to move again tomorrow. But the problem was the mental damage. The two failures had shattered my confidence.
"Setsu...next time, I will definitely..."
With my weak, trembling hands, I picked up a fragment of the broken Eclipse and clenched my fist. Anger and humiliation swirled in my chest.
"Next time, I will definitely kill you...no matter what it takes."
From my bloodied lips, a vow escaped.
I stared out at the city shrouded in the night through the broken window. Somewhere, Setsu was still alive with a nonchalant expression. Just imagining that made my chest burn.
◆
──Morning.
The light streaming in through the window felt unusually bright, and Lilia=Velt stirred and sat up in bed.
This was a hotel room. Being a luxury hotel, the fluffy sheets and pillows were first-class, making her feel like she was on top of a cloud.
"...Faa..."
Lilia stretched with a yawn and looked down at her body again. Her body, which had been beaten and battered by the Witch of Absolute Zero, Sheena, the other day, had changed from yesterday. Although some bandages were wrapped around it, it had recovered to the point where it did not interfere with her daily life.
This was probably thanks to the self-healing power she had developed through the Raid Tournament Childraid, and the accurate treatment of the guild's healers.
"Haa...healers are really amazing, aren't they? It hurt so much...but now, I can move this much."
Just to be sure, she twisted her waist and back, but there was almost no pain. Even the bone cracks seemed to have completely healed.
And yet, the depths of her chest were unusually restless and uneasy. She didn't know how to deal with this strange flutter.
"Setsu-san...no, Setsu..."
Before she knew it, a "certain person" who had been occupying her mind all last night came to mind.
That plain adventurer who had saved Lilia from Sheena's violence yesterday.
He usually does jobs like scavenging, but he actually has tremendous power hidden inside him... No, not just power, everything about him is out of the ordinary.
It's not just his strength, but also the mature atmosphere behind his usual carefree attitude. And what's more, for some reason, the way he caught Lilia in a critical situation looked like a prince.
"...Oh geez, what am I thinking? I've never been thrilled by a guy before..."
Until recently, she had only felt frustrated, wondering, "Why can't I, who's good at speed, catch up to that person?"
But ever since she was rescued, Setsu has been coming out in her mind like a prince in a dignified manner. He looks like a handsome guy riding a white horse—well, he's actually supposed to be wearing plain clothes.
"............"
Lilia patted her cheeks with both hands. She tried to regain her senses by feeling a slight pain. If she indulged in fantasies here, she would lose herself.
It's no use thinking personally about someone who even the Witch of Absolute Zero, Sheena, considers special.
So, she should stop imagining unnecessary things like love...
"...Yes, stop it, stop it!"
She shook her head and temporarily banished the image of Setsu that was passing through her mind. For now, it's better to just "be grateful that he saved me, unlike Sheena."
Just as she was telling herself that,
Knock knock
"Lilia-sama, excuse me. Are you in the room?"
I jumped at the sudden knock. I hurriedly checked my nightgown and replied, "W-wait a minute!" I quickly changed into simple clothes, fixed my hair, and opened the door.
Then, a hotel employee came in looking formal. The hotel emblem was shining on his chest.
"Lilia-sama, excuse me for disturbing your stay. A magic letter has arrived for Lilia-sama."
With that, he handed over a rectangular, hard envelope. A magic letter is a system that sends letters instantly from a distance using magic technology.
"...A magic letter? From whom?"
"The sender...is written here. It appears to be Koda=Koltzane-sama."
Koda=Koltzane.
I couldn't help but grimace. Just hearing that name made me feel a bad premonition running down my spine.
"...Haa. I see. Thank you. I've received it for sure."
After letting the employee leave as appropriate, Lilia closed the door to the room.
Suddenly, the hand holding the envelope trembled. After taking a deep breath, she tore the seal open with a rip. Then, a piece of paper came out from inside.
Lilia picked up the paper and quickly skimmed through it.
'To Lilia,
Hi, it's Koda.
I'm steadily accumulating wins in the Child Raid Pro League. I think you already know, but I'm currently ranked third in the world rankings. How is it, amazing?
Anyway, I heard a rumor that you're staying in Ragbalt recently. You're a former top student, right? I'm very curious about what you're doing in such a remote place.
I'll come and see you in person soon. I'd be happy if you could welcome me slowly and gracefully as a noble.
See you later!'
...Sentences like that were written densely from top to bottom in an excessively boastful style. On top of that, "Koda's magnificent seal" was stamped at the end of the sentence.
"Ugh...she's here, the worst woman..."
Before she knew it, Lilia put strength into the hand holding the paper and tore it with a rip.
She crumpled it into a ball and threw it into the trash can, and then let out a deep sigh, "Haa..."
Koda=Koltzane.
A girl who was always second—the so-called "runner-up"—at the Academy where Lilia was once the top student.
But now, she is a professional Raid Tournament Childraid player who is much more active than Lilia.
What's more, Koda's family is a merchant family with a huge merchant association, and they have much better money than nobles.
"...She's really a terrible woman. She's been looking down on me every time we meet since we were kids..."
Just thinking about it made the depths of her chest feel irritated and burnt.
Back when she won the MVP, Koda was obviously frustrated, saying, "Too bad, I was the runner-up..." But what about now that she's in the pro league? She's going much higher and being more active than Lilia.
Ever since then, every time they meet, she takes advantage of her by saying, "I guess I'm more talented after all?" "Top student, what are you doing now?"
"...Really, she's the worst. What do you mean, 'I'll come and see you...' No one called you."
She lightly kicked the trash can as if to vent her frustration, and looked at the torn pieces of the telegram.
"How did she sniff out that I'm in the city of Ragbalt...? I heard that the information network of that merchant association is terrifying..."
But there's no point in thinking about it. If they're serious about finding her, they'll find her right away, and even if she tells them not to come, they'll ignore her.
"But...if I meet Koda again, she's sure to interfere unnecessarily again. I'd like to avoid it if possible..."
Lilia felt like she had a headache even though the pain from her injury was supposed to be gone.
Just as she was thinking about Setsu and feeling a little excited, she felt like a fool, and the reunion with Koda was depressing.
"Well...it might be a story for the future, so there's no point in worrying about it... It's much more beneficial to go and see Setsu-san, right?"
After muttering that, she hurriedly shook her head. No, no, I'm thinking about that person again...
"...Anyway, before the trouble increases, I have to earn something as proof that I've regained my recovered body..."
Lilia took out her adventurer equipment from the chest. Living expenses are not cheap even in this Ragbalt.
Let's forget about Koda for now and go to the guild to complete a request properly today.
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